Syndicate

Three weeks ago, Belmont Park was the site of New York Showcase Day, with seven stakes races worth $1 million for state-bred horses. This Sunday will be a special day at Aqueduct Racetrack, a mini-showcase day featuring a half-dozen stakes races worth $500,000 restricted to horses sired by New York stallions.

There are many familiar names among the 51 horses entered in the six New York Stallion Series events, including the Richard Dutrow-trained Logic Way, a neck winner over Get Serious in the Mohawk Handicap on Showcase Day. With four victories and one second in six starts this year, Logic Way is one of 10 entered in the $75,000 Cormorant Division at 1 1/16th miles on the turf, which will be run as the seventh race on the day’s nine-race card. Also returning from the Mohawk are Get Serious and Classic Pack, who was fifth.

Purchased by Louis Marino last fall and turned over to Dutrow, Logic Way, a four-year-old son of Freud, has had but one off-the-board performance in 2008, finishing fifth behind Banrock over soft turf in the Ashley T. Cole ‘Cap at Belmont Park in September. He will carry high weight of 124 pounds and break from the rail under Javier Castellano.

Trainer Barclay Tagg has two entered in the Cormorant: Doc N Roll, seventh in the Floral Park in September, and the lightly-raced Dr. Decter, who broke his maiden at second asking and then ran off to a three-length victory in a seven-furlong allowance on October 18. Completing the field are Theconfidenceman, Fairway Drive, Pennington, Baxter, and Kettle Two.

Tagg will also be saddling Nehantic Kat in the Cormorant’s sister race, the $75,000 Perfect Arc, also at 1 1/16th miles on the turf. The five-year-old daughter of Tomorrows Cat, third to Love Cove in the Ticonderoga on Showcase Day, will be taking on eight fillies and mares including Ticonderoga returnees Bella Attrice, who was fifth, Follow My Dream, who was eighth, and Borrowing Base, who finished ninth.

Two-year-olds get their chance to shine in the $100,000 Fifth Avenue for fillies and the $100,000 Great White Way, both at six furlongs. The second- and third-place finishers in last month’s Maid of the Mist, Sneakin Up and Anjorie, return for the Fifth Avenue, with Anjorie running as part of a Sugar Maple Farm entry with Sarah Accomplished. The Tagg-trained Tall Poppi, second to the well-regarded Trinity Magic in the Sleepy Hollow, heads a field of eight for the Great White Way.

Trainer Bob Baffert is not one usually associated with New York-bred horses, but it is Mike Pegram’s Under Serviced who tops a field of eight for the $75,000 Staten Island for fillies and mares, 3 and up, going seven furlongs.

With three victories from five starts, including the Schenectady in September, the three-year-old daughter of Hook and Ladder finished third to Ice Cool Kitty and By the Light in the Iroquois Handicap last month. Also returning from Showcase Day is the Dominic Galluscio-trained Raffie’s Treasure, who represented the trainer in his attempt at a three-peat in the Empire Classic, in which the three-year-old daughter of Raffie’s Majesty was ninth.

Capping off the six races is the $75,000 Thunder Rumble, also at seven furlongs, in which Spanky Fishbein returns to familiar territory. The three-year-old son of Hook and Ladder, fourth in the Empire Classic last month, won the Great White Way division here last fall, was second to Giant Moon in the Damon Runyon and the Count Fleet, and then was fourth in the Whirlaway in February. Now trained by Chad Brown, Spanky Fishbein will be facing seven in the Thunder Rumble, including Almighty Silver, Mor Chances, Gold and Roses, Good Card, Prince of Peace, Irish Blast, and Oedipus O’Neal.